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1) The EOR was a CAB but yes, supermarket... Wanted to practice ($2.99lb) before the "real ($7.99+lb) thing"!
2) Actually, it was pretty easy. It was a 90mm collagen that I soaked for a few minutes in warm water. Softened up nice. I rolled one end over itself and fitted the tapered end of the meat in. From there it was just a bit of tugging. The hard part was tying the ends tight against the meat. That took a bit of effort. I actually ended up using a couple of nylon wire ties to hold the ends as I worked the string. The other think was getting the air pockets worked out. I used a really small needle (probably too small) and it was almost like the collagen was self sealing the tiny holes as fast as I made them!
3) Ah, the curing chamber... Should of started this adventure about five weeks earlier. Up until a couple of weeks ago my basement was a steady 58 to 60 degrees. Having had success with hanging saucisson of pork tenderloin and pancetta, I figured I'd be good to go. Now some days it's a few degrees warmer (max 64-65). Warmer then I'd like. I'm either going to have to build a curing cabinet or postpone further curing until fall. My set up for controlling the humidity is pretty similar to the one you linked. In the bottom is a couple inches of salted water but over that I've a computer fan suspended blowing straight down on the surface of the water. By experimenting with different speeds on the fan it holds steady around seventy-five percent humidity and I have a nice gentle constant air flow. I'll try to post a picture when I can.
4) The Tojiro gyuto DP 210mm: I love it! I don't have a lot of experience with higher end knifes but it's dream to me and it is without question one of the best $80 I've ever spent. I've a couple of Wusthofs (chef and a santoku classics) and they haven't been on the counter since the Tojiro.
I love computer fans. Use them in the refrigerator for drying poultry skin, salmon, etc. Powering the fan: There should be a sticker on the fan that lists it's voltage. Most likely it's 12 volts dc but some are 5 volts. I'm using an AC adapter that I scavenged from a cordless phone. I've a box of them saved over the years of different voltages and current ratings so I can match something to my needs. I just cut the plugs off both the fan and the AC adapter and spliced them together. You can certainly be more elegant about it with plugs and what not. The only thing it be aware of is the polarity when connecting them. Most fans will simple not run if the polarity is wrong. Reverse the wires and your good to go. If you don't have a suitable adapter lying about something like
this would work. It outputs at several different voltages so it's versatile. I actually run a12 volt fan at 7.5 volts to reduce it's speed in the curing chamber.
G, "Dry curing solid muscle is on my to-do list this year." This is only my fifth attempt, but I'm loving it and so far still alive.
We'll see how the rest of the bresaola adventure goes. Either way, I'll post an update... hopefully.
